The best looking stadia are all in the Americas for some reason. The NFL has got some tremendous looking stadia too - https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/list/ranking-nfl-stadiums-from-worst-to-best/dky07jdst5w1mcy7cgsm7q6s/2
Quote from: Rico on March 10, 2021, 05:48:07 PMI went here in the early 90s. It's the Monumental Stadium in Ecuador. Its probably the most impressive stadium I've ever been too. I think it shows that you can have an amazing stadium of four separate stands. Villa Park would in my opinion be magnificent if all of the opposing stands mirrored each other. Obviously there would be problems with Within Lane, but surely it's something that could be overcome?That looks fantastic I've never seen that before. How high are those end stands? And I'm loving the symmetry something a certain HDE had absolutely no concept of. Two Holte ends and two Trinity Rds opposing each other would tick all the boxes for me with the lower sections joined all around the ground in a continuous sweep.
I went here in the early 90s. It's the Monumental Stadium in Ecuador. Its probably the most impressive stadium I've ever been too. I think it shows that you can have an amazing stadium of four separate stands. Villa Park would in my opinion be magnificent if all of the opposing stands mirrored each other. Obviously there would be problems with Within Lane, but surely it's something that could be overcome?
Yeah they were big old stands that's for sure. They were both terraced stands, probably on a par with the old Holte End. Interestingly the team that play there are called F.C. Barcelona.
Quote from: Ad@m on March 10, 2021, 08:06:28 PMThe best looking stadia are all in the Americas for some reason. The NFL has got some tremendous looking stadia too - https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/list/ranking-nfl-stadiums-from-worst-to-best/dky07jdst5w1mcy7cgsm7q6s/2I’m a Packers Fan and been to Lambeau Field a few times and I’m surprised it’s ranked so high in that list. It definitely has that old school feel to it in the original bowl. But the ‘bleachers’ are metal and uncomfortable and bloody cold on your arse if you don’t layer up in winter or September for that matter. The only reason they keep them is because they’d lose about 10,000 season ticket holders places and they already have that 30 year waiting list for tickets as it is. It would be like having a tier of North Stand lower seats and their tight leg room all round Villa Park just to experience how seating was when Doug did it back in the day.The atmosphere is fantastic, and of course the foyer areas are better than here, but NFL pitches are narrower than footy pitches so you feel a bit closer. Last year before the lockdown I experienced the last minute winner against Leicester to go to Wembley at Villa Park and a play completion at Lambeau to advance the Packers in the play offs within a month or so of each other.The best atmosphere? Pretty similar at both to be honest....carnage, limbs etc. No away fans in one location to gloat at is the big difference I suppose. The drinking culture at the Packers games is very similar to Villa though, that’s why I like it!
In theory, I wonder if it would be possible to just close Witton Lane from Holte Road all the way up to Station Road? There are no other roads off Witton Lane between those two points, and plenty of other routes for traffic to negotiate around Villa Park - it would add inconvenience, but it's not a particularly busy route most days (plus aren't we supposed to be discouraging car use). It would give much more room for improved concourse areas, and whilst the stand can't really go any higher we could at least use the existing footprint much more efficiently, to hopefully give us a much better stand and probably an increase in capacity.
Quote from: Pat Mustard on March 11, 2021, 10:59:58 AMIn theory, I wonder if it would be possible to just close Witton Lane from Holte Road all the way up to Station Road? There are no other roads off Witton Lane between those two points, and plenty of other routes for traffic to negotiate around Villa Park - it would add inconvenience, but it's not a particularly busy route most days (plus aren't we supposed to be discouraging car use). It would give much more room for improved concourse areas, and whilst the stand can't really go any higher we could at least use the existing footprint much more efficiently, to hopefully give us a much better stand and probably an increase in capacity.Go to Villa Park during the week and you'd be surprised at how busy Witton Lane and especially Trinity Road are. There is no way the council would allow one of them to be blocked off, particularly as it would then mean a diversion along Witton Road.
Quote from: algy on March 10, 2021, 10:48:31 PMI'd rather we didn't kick local people out of their houses.I don’t think Liverpool did they just bought them up, left them empty, creating a serious case of urban blight and most others then moved out as a result. It was a pretty scummy move in my opinion but it got them what they wanted. I’d like to think we wouldn’t do that and try and take local residents with us on any ground extensions but sometimes it’s the old “omelettes and broken eggs” scenario.
I'd rather we didn't kick local people out of their houses.
Yes I think it caused a lot of animosity around Anfiield , not the way to do it
On a humorous memory, I remember being at an early season night game against man city ?Doug had sneakily tried to redevelop the Holte by putting a fence down the middle."The Holte did not like it and rose up above it and pulled the fence down"The concrete had not set and it was not a big deal to push it over. The police were a bit nonplussed as what to do as it had happened before they had a chance to respondNot sure what the intentions were in putting it up in the 1st placeThe rumour was that Doug thought he could sell it out by letting opposition fans in one side.But my memory is a bit vague and i could be wrongBut there was a fence and after its demolition it never came back
Quote from: Ad@m on March 10, 2021, 08:06:28 PMThe best looking stadia are all in the Americas for some reason. The NFL has got some tremendous looking stadia too - https://www.sportingnews.com/us/nfl/list/ranking-nfl-stadiums-from-worst-to-best/dky07jdst5w1mcy7cgsm7q6s/2This was interesting thank you. I notice that their number one ranked stadium is the oldest one on there, from 1957. "Part museum, part mecca, all classic."